Pumping apparatus for oil wells



July 22, 1941. w. M. MANsl-'IELD 2,249,842

'PUMPING APPARATUS FOR OIL WELLS Filed Jan. 25, 1959 I 3 Sheets-Sheet l MIME/v M MN5/ffm,

N V N TOR.

A 'TTQRNE Y July 22, 1941- w. M. MANsFlELD 2,249,842

PUMPING APPARATUS FOR OIL lWELLS Filed Jan. 25, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 c w 'A f ,f5-46:94 E 65 7 j?? 5 93 94 99 65 64 76@0 62\ 76669 66 if 6/ 75 i EL 67 62 72 107 761 9/ "'76 .9.9 v gig/ETS: n /0 i /00 57 /06 /2/7 'E i' 1. '1 46 *57 47 55 44 4 46 fff 4 Ti Y r E'g Q5 .94 70 69 637.962 96 I 46 47 55 47d/ 4./ kw

A TTORNE y July 22, 1941. w. M. MANsFlELD i PUMPING APPARATUS FOR OIL 4WELLS Filed Jan. 23, V1939 s sheets-sheet s R Y 5E m MW/. M/. A M w M;

Patented July 22, 1941 PUMPING APPARATUS FOR OIL WELLS Warren M. Mansfield, Glendale, Calif., assignor to Emsco Derrick & Equipment Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application January 23, 1939,.Serial No. 252,430

7 Claims.

My invention relates in general to'pumping apparatus for use in pumping oil wells, and more particularly relates to a walking beam bearing and support therefor which is useful in supporting the walking beam on the Samson post.

- It is common practice at the present time to support a walking beam on a bearing mounted atv the upper end of a Samson post. One end of the walking beam rests above the well and has the polish rod of a string of sucker rods connected to it. It is highly desirable that the end of the walking beam be rather accurately adjusted with respect to the vertical axis of the well in order that accurate alignment may be had. It is further highly desirable that a means be provided whereby the `walking beam may be readily moved into a retracted position in order thatl free access may be had to the space above,

the oil well during the removal kor installation of pump parts or sucker rods.

It is an object of my invention to provide a walking beam bearing and support assembly whereby the end of the walking beam may be adjusted into an accurate aligned position over the well.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simple arrangement whereby this adjustment may be accomplished.

It is a stilliurther object of my invention to provide a walking beam bearing and support assembly in which the walking beam bearing having the walking beam secured thereto is quickly demountable from the walking beam bearing support on the Samson post in order that the walking beam` may be easily retracted into a position which gives full access to the spacev above the well.

It is a still further object of my invention to provide a walking beam bearing and support assembly in which the walking beam bearing is readily demountable and in which the parts cooperate to provide coengaging walls which restrain the walking beam bearing from bodily movement in -a direction, longitudinal of the walking beam which is secured to the bearing.

It is a still further object of my invention to provide a walking beam bearing and support assembly in which the bearing and support cooperate to provide a V-shaped recess and a V- shaped projection having coengaging wallsv which extend at angles to vertical and in which these walls are moved into coengagement by the-action of gravity, and when the parts are secured together by a simple securing means, such as a bolt, adequately restrain the bearing from bodily movement in a direction longitudinal of the walking beam. y

It is a further object of the invention to provide a walking beam bearing of simple and dur- 2 able form having an adjustable plate which is connected rigidly to the walking beam and has cooperating adjustment means whereby it may be adjusted relative to the bearing and to the Samson post on which the bearing is mounted, whereby adjustment of the position of the walking beam may be readily accomplished.

A further object of the invention is to provide a walking beam bearing having upper and lower cooperating bearing parts which are connected together within a substantially closed bearing chamber so formed that the volume of the space contained within the bearing. chamber will not change due to the relative swinging movement of the parts, and so that there will consequently be no alternateintake and exhaust of air into anclfrom the bearing chamber to carry dust to the working parts of the bearing.

vIt is a further object of the invention to provide a unitary walking beam bearing of such forrrn that it may be readily and amply lubricated,f and in which the cooperating bearing faces are so formed that4 the bearing unit may be operated for long periods of time and without attention'.

j Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in :the following part of the specification.

Referring to the drawings which are for illustrative purposes only:

f Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of Amy invention.

Fig. 2 is a View looking toward the rear end of the device shown in Fig. 1.

. Fig. 3 is an-enlarged fragmentary View of the portion of Fig. 1 included within the dotted circle 3 thereof.

Y Fig. iis a face view of one of the counterbalance plates.

' As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, my Y pumping unit comprises a base Il) which is preferably fabricated from sheet steel and standard structural members. Rigidly secured to, and extending upward from the front end of the base IB there is a Samson post II carrying a walking beam bearing I2 which supports a walking beam I3 having means I4, commonly referred to asa` horse head, and cablermeans I5 for attachment to the upper end of a polish rod I6 which projects may be changed by increasing or decreasing the number of plates 26.

The Samson post is formed from a plurality of Vstructural angles 38 spaced relatively far apart at their lower ends where they are secured to the base I0 by means of anchor plates 39. The upper ends of the angles or legs 38 are brought relatively close together and are welded to a bearing support or support member 4| comprising a short section of a structural angle placed so that the legs 42 thereof, Fig. 6, slope upward and outward at an angle of substantially 45 to horizontal,

-. thereby forming a depression or recess 43 which roma well head I1 and forms the upper end Y' I provide a simple form of counterbalance! means 25. This counterbalance means comprises a plurality of plates 26 resting in face to face relation and being adjustable along the walking beam I3 relative to the point of fulcrum of the walking beam represented by the walking beaml bearing I2. The walking beam I3 consists of a standard steel structural member having a horizontal nange 250. along the lower portion thereof. Preferably this walking beam I3 consists of an Ibeam, butin the preferred practice of the in-I vention, only the lower nange 25a, is employedl for the support of the counterbalance 25. As shown in Fig. e, each counterbalance plate 26 has an opening 21 therein to permit it to be slid onto the rear portion of the walking beam I3 into operating position, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2. Preferably each opening 21 comprises a Vertical slot 23, leading down from the upper edge of the Yplate 23 to receive the flange of the I-beam, andY the flange in accordance with'the position se'-` lected for .the counterbalance means 25 on theh walking beam E3. Each lockingpdevice 30,. as

shown in Fig, 3, comprises a plate 3| having an';

inverted T-shaped. opening 32 to receive. the flanger'a and the lower. portion. of the web 33 of the Lbeam.V Each plate V3| is provided with a screw 34 at the lower end thereon. adapted to bear against one side of Vthe counterbalance means 25, and each plate 3| has a relatively sharp shoulder 33, formed by a dog 31 comprising a square bar of hard alloy secured to the front face of the plate by means of a weld 35'. vWhen out-l ward reac ion is applied to the lower end of theV plate 3| bythe application of the screw 34 to the counterbalance means 25 the shoulderV 36 is caused to dig into or frictionally engage the vlower face of the flange'25'a so as to restrain the locking device against movement away from theface of the counterbalance means. The counterbalance may be adjusted forwardly or rearwardly on the walking beam I3 and the weight thereof? extends laterally with respect to the walking beam I3;

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the walking beam bearing I2 is tted in the opening 43 provided by the support 4I `and is secured therein by bolt means disclosed as cap screws 44. This walking beam bearing has a lower bowl section 45, as shown in Figs'. 5, 6, and 8, which includes a semicylindrical wall 46 preferably cast from steel and having formed thereon two downwardly projectingwalls or webs 41 disposed near the ends of the wall 45 and an intermediate downwardly projecting Wall or web 41a placed substantially centrally between the walls or webs 41, there being a V-shaped bar ,48 integrally formed with and connecting the lower portions of the walls 41 and 4ta together. The walls 41 and 41a have edge faces 43 disposed substantially perpendicularly to each other, and tangential to the axis of the cylindrical'wall 4S, in position to fit snugly against the inner `faces of the legs 42 when the cap screws 44 are screwed up tight in the threaded openings 5i! provided therefor in the bar 48. The formations 45, 41, 41a., 4S, and 49 constitute a base member of the bearing and this base member provides a projection which has walls arranged at an angle to vertical which coengage the walls of the support member, and since these coengaging walls are extended at angles, it will be seen that they are held in engagement by gravity and when one part is placed in the other they are self-aligning so that the securing bolt 44 may be readily installed. It will further be seenY that when the securing bolt has been installed the coengaging faces cooperate to prevent the bearing from moving bodily in a direction longitudinally of the walking beam I3.1

The cylindrical wall 46 has diagonally opposed.

' ed openings 52. The lugs 5| and 53 support stop members 54 inthe form of ears which project from the lugs 5| and 53 toward a central Yplane perpendicular to the axis of the wall 46. The

Awall 46 supports a semicylindrical wall 55 of a suitable bearing metal which defines a semicylindr'ical socket 56 the ends of which are closed by semcylindrical plates 51.-

As shown in Figs'. .5', 6, .and 7,5the bearing I2 has an upper portion 58 comprising-a plug 59 to Vfit into the socket 5S and a plate or saddle 60, ixed `on .the plug 59, on whichthe walking beam may be supported. The 'plug' 59 comprises a cylinder,

preferably of hollow character in that it has.' anv arc of engagement of the web 65 with the cylinder-59' is substantially 90.

The saddle 60 has bolt openings 66 which are elongated in a directiontransverse to the axis of the plug 59, and has diagonally disposed dogs 61 for engaging the stop members 54 when the saddle 60 is swung downward in either direction from the horizontal position in which it is shown in Fig. 6.

The cylinder 59 is of such diameterrthat the lower half thereof will make bearing fit with the semicylindrical socket 56. When the cylinder 59 is placed in the bowl portion 45, thrust rings 68 are placed at the ends thereof, and the exposed end portions 63 of the cylinder 59 are covered by hold-down members 69 of the form disclosed in Fig. 9. These hold-down members 69 each include a semicylindrical wall 10 with an outwardly projecting flange 1| at the inner end thereof and Aa semicylindrical end wall 12 to cooperate with an end wall 51 of the lower bearing portion. The members 69 are provided with projecting lugs 13 having openings 14 therein through which screws 15 may be passed into the threaded openings 52 of the lugs 5| and 53 ofthe bearing bowl 45. When the members 89 are secured in place, as shown in Fig. 5, narrow spaces exist between the inner ends of the hold-down members and the edges 64 of the saddle 60, and cover plates-19 are secured in depending relation to the edges 64. Each cover plate 16 comprises a rectangular wall 11 with a semicircular opening 18 in the lower portion thereof, a narrow semicylindrical wall 19 around this opening and a lip or flange 89 extending inwardly from the edge of the wall 19. The plate 11 has screw openings 8| through which screws 82 are passed into threaded openings 83 in the edges of the wall 62 of the saddle member when the cover members 16 are placed, Aas shown in Figs. and 6, with the plate 11 thereof engaging the edges 64 andAwith the cylindrical walls 19and flanges 89 lying over the flanges 1| of the hold down members 69.

Arcuate plates or walls 83, generated on the axis of `the cylinder 59, are secured to the lower face of the saddle 60 by means of screws 84 passed through flanges 85 formed at the upper edges of the walls 83. These arcuate walls are placed so as to project downward on the opposite sides of the semicylindrical wall 46 of the bearing bowl 45.- The arcuate walls 83 are of such length that the ends 86 thereof engage the inner faces of the plate 11, and outward movement of the lower portions of the platesy 83 is limited by lugs 81 which project from the inner faces of the plate 11. The upper portions of the arcuate plates 83 and the part of the wall 62 between the upper ends of the plates 83 cooperate with the flanges 1|- of the hold-down members `|59 and the plate 11 in forming a bearing chamber 89 above the exposed portions of the semicylindrical walls 46 and 55. Sealing means between the arcuate plates 83 and the upper edges of the wall 46 are provided in the form of wiper strips 99, held by cleats 9| in position to project from the upper edges of the wall 48 into engagement with the inner faces of the arcuate plates 83. This bearing chamber 89 is symmetrical on opposite sides of the upper portion of the bearing pin or cylinder 59 when the saddle 6U is in horizontal position, and as the saddle 60 rocks so that the arcuate plates 83 slide up and down relative to the wiper strips 90, air will flow across the top of the cylinder 59 from one side to the other of the bearing chamber 89, the volume of which bearing chamber remains constant s o thatirocking of the upper-bearing part in the bearingbowl-will not cause a breathing of air in and out of jthe bearing chamber 89.` Y l vThe saddle 69 `forms a part of an adjustable means for securing the walking. beam I3 to the walking beam bearing I2. On the wall 62 a plate 93 rests, this plate being secured to the flange 25a of the walking beam, and being securable to the wall 62 by means of bolts 94 which pass through the slots 66 in the wall 62.4 The plate 93 is longerthan the wall 62and has downwardly projectingbodies 95 with threaded openings 96 to carry adjusting screws 91 i in such position that the ends thereof may be applied to the ends of the wall 62. Bysuitable operation of the screws 91, thelplate93 may be shifted forward orrearward relativeto the walking beam bearing to bring-the horse head I4 into a desired position above the polish rod I6 whereupon locking nuts 98 on the screws 91' may be tightened, and the bolts 94 may be tightened so that the plate 93 will be locked in thel selected position of operation.

As a means for providing ample and constant lubrication for the bearing faces of the cylindrical plug bearing member 59 and of the bearing socket 56, I connect an oil spout 99 with the interior of the bearing bowl 45 and the axial opening 6I- of the cylinder 59 through a nipple |60 which threads through one end wall 51 of the bearing bowl 45. When the upper closure or cap IIlI of the oil spout 99 is removed, oil may-be poured through the oil spout 99 so as to substantially half lill the interior space of the cylinder 59.. Portions of this oil flow through radial openings `|92 in the wall of the cylinder 59 to the bearing faces to continuously lubricate the same for relative rocking movement of the cylinder in the bearing socket. When it is desired to drain the oil from the interior of the cylinder 59 the lower plug |03 of the oil spout 99 may be removed.

When it is desired to work on the well, for example to pull the oil tube, the walking beam may be shifted back 'so that the horse head I4 will Iassume the position indicated by dotted lines I4 in Fig. l. For use at this time, the walking beam I3 is provided with a projection |99 on the lower face thereof adjacent the horse head I4, this member |99 being shown as a plate bent to V-shaped form to correspond substantially to the bearing support 4| at the upper end of the Samson post When it is desired to shift the walkingbeam to retracted position the bolts 44 `are removed so that the bearing I2 may be lifted bodily from the support 4| by raising the walking beam, the projection |09 being then brought to rest in the support 4I and the screws 44 then being passed through the lower part of the bearing support 4I into engagement with the projection IIJIJ to firmly secure the same in place.

Iclaim as my invention:

, 1. In a walking beam bearing and support therefor, the combination of: a support comprising an `angle with means for holding the same in a position with the legs thereof diverging upwardly so as to form an upwardly faced channel; a bearing bowl having angularly disposed walls on the lower portion thereof to fit into the upwardly faced channel formed by said legs of said angle, there being bolt means to secure said bearing bowl to said angle, said bearing bowl having an upwardly faced semicylindrical wall forming a semicylindrical bearing socket closed by end walls; a bearing body comprising a hollow cylinder, the lower portion of which ts into said bearing socket; hold-down members supported by the end portions of said' bearing bowl in position to extend over the ends of said cylinder; and

a saddle member connected to the upper'portion of said cylinder between said hold-'down members, there'being means for connecting said saddle member to said walking beam. Y

-'2. In [a walking beam bearing and` support therefor, the combinationof: a support comprising an angle with means for holding the same-in a 4position with the Ylegs thereof diverging upwardlysoas to form an upwardly faced recess; a bearing bowl having angularly disposed walls on the lower portion thereof toY t into the upwardly faced recess formed by said legs of said angle, there :being bolt means to secure said bearing bowl to said angle, said bearing bowl having an upwardly faced semicylindrical wall forming a semicylindrical bearing socket closed by-end walls; a bearing body comprising a hollow cylinder, the lower portion of which ts into said bearing'socket; hold-down members supported by the end portions of said bearing bowl in position to` extend over 'the ends of said cylinder; a saddle member connected to the upper portion of saidy cylinder between said hold-down members; a plate adjustably connected to the saddle member; means for connecting said plate to the walking beam; and means for delivering oil into said hollow cylinder.

cooperate to restrain said bearing from moving in a direction longitudinally of the walking beam; and means' for removablyH securing said bearing to said support member. l

` 5.In a walking. beam bearing and support assembly for use between a Samson post and a walking beam, theY combination of: a bearing comprising a saddle whereby the walking beam may be secured' on said bearing for reciprocatory movement and a base member pivotally connected to said saddle and forming the lowerpart of said bearing; a support member adapted to cooperate with said base for supporting said bearing, one of said members providing a recess and therother of said members providing a projection walking beam, thecombination of: a bearing support including; an angle plate positioned with the legs thereof diverging upwardly to form a V3. In a walking beam bearing and support assembly for use between a Samson post and a walking beam, the combination of: Va, bearing comprising :a saddle whereby the walking beam may be secured cn said bearing for reciprocatory cooperate with said base for supporting said bearing, one of said members providing a recess and the other of said members providing a projection which fits into Ysaid recess, Vsaid members providing angularly disposed coengaging walls which cooperate to restrain said bearing from moving in a'direction longitudinally of the walking beam; and means for removably securing said bearing to said support memlber.

4. In a walking beam bearing and support assembly for use between a Samson post anda walking beam, the Ycombination of: a bearing comprising a saddle whereby the walking beam may be secured on said bearing for reciprocatory movement and'a'base member pivotally connected to said saddle and forming the lower party of said bearing; a support member adaptedto cooperate with said base for supporting said bearing, one of said members providing a substantially V- shaped recess and the other of said members providing a swbsta'ntially V-shaped projection which ts into said recess, said members providing angularly disposed coengaging vwalls which Y formedso' 'as to impart opposed substantially recess;

V-sh-aped recess; a bearing unit having a base shapedY to-lbe received in said recess and having walls engaging said legs and an upper part pivotally connected to said base and having means securing it to said walking beam, said bearing being readily separable from said support; and means forV removably securing said base in said 7. In a walking beam bearing and supportassembly for use between a Samson post and a walking beam, the combination of: a bearing comprising a saddle'whereby the walking beam may be secured on said bearing for reciprocatory movement and a base member pivotally connected to "said-saddle and forming the lower part of said `rbearing; a support member adapted to cooperate with said base member for supporting said bearing, one of said members providing a recess and the other of said members providing a projection which fits into said recess s o that by relative'vertical movement of said base member said 'projection may be moved freely into and' out of engagement with said recess, said members providing coengaging walls so positioned and arranged to cooperate to restrain said bearing from moving in a direction longitudinally of the walking beam;`and releasable means for removably securing said base member to said support member, said securing means being vertical fonce to said members so as to hold them in coengagement andl permitting disengagement of said memlbers when released.

- VWARREN M. MANSFIELD. 

